MLB Player News
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Marcell Ozuna DH | PIT
Cardinals' Marcell Ozuna: Three-hit night in win
Ozuna went 3-for-4 with an RBI double and a run in a win over the Reds on Friday.
Ozuna didn't participate in the Cardinals' four-homer derby, but he opened the scoring with his first-inning two-bagger. The veteran outfielder's three-hit effort was his first in nearly two months and was another step in the right direction following his long absence due to multiple finger fractures. After going just 1-for-12 over the first four games following his return, Ozuna is hitting .333 (9-for-27) with two doubles, two home runs, four RBI, five walks and six runs in the subsequent eight contests.
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Brandon Belt DH | TOR
Giants' Brandon Belt: Hits 13th homer in win
Belt went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Friday's 10-9 win over the Diamondbacks.
Belt tied the game at 1-1 with a blast off Mike Leake in the third inning. It was the first long ball since July 30 for the 31-year-old veteran, who has not been seeing the ball well as of late. Overall this season, Belt is batting .229/.345/.387 with 13 homers.
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Bryce Harper 1B | PHI
Phillies' Bryce Harper: Continues power surge
Harper went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run and two runs scored Friday night against the Padres.
Harper gave the Phillies some breathing room in the sixth inning with a three-run blast over the wall in left. He's now left the yard in back-to-back contests, as he also cranked a game-winning grand slam in Thursday's series finale against the Cubs. Harper will aim to stay hot heading into the final two contests of the series.
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Jesse Winker DH | NYM
Reds' Jesse Winker: Remains on bench Friday
Winker is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Cardinals.
Winker typically takes a seat when the Reds face a southpaw, but Friday is the second straight contest in which he's out versus a right-hander (Adam Wainwright). The 25-year-old has a .943 OPS since the All-Star break, so it seems unlikely he's being bumped from the starting role. Phillip Ervin receives another start in left field in Winker's place.
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Bryce Harper 1B | PHI
Phillies' Bryce Harper: Slugs walkoff grand slam
Harper went 1-for-4 with a grand slam and a stolen base Thursday against the Cubs.
Harper provided a walkoff grand slam, taking Derek Holland deep for his 25th homer of the season. Harper has delivered six homers in his past eight games, also recording three multi-hit games in that span. He ended Thursday's contest with 87 RBI, putting him well on pace to surpass his previous career-best mark of 100 RBI. He's also hitting .253/.374/.490 across 532 plate appearances for the season.
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Alex Dickerson DH | ATL
Giants' Alex Dickerson: Sitting again Thursday
Dickerson is not in the lineup Thursday against the Diamondbacks, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.
Dickerson was reinstated from the injured list Wednesday, but he'll have to wait another day to make his return to the starting lineup as the Giants are stacking righties against southpaw Alex Young on Thursday. Austin Slater is starting in right field in this one.
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Brandon Belt DH | TOR
Giants' Brandon Belt: Hitting eighth vs. lefty
Belt is starting at first base and hitting eighth Thursday against the Diamondbacks, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.
Belt will drop to eighth in the order as the Diamondbacks stack right-handed bats at the top of their order against left-hander Alex Young. The first baseman is hitting just .194 against lefties this season, compared to .238 against right-handers.
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Joc Pederson DH | TEX
Dodgers' Joc Pederson: Situated on bench vs. lefty
Pederson is out of the lineup Thursday against the Marlins, Alanna Rizzo of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.
Pederson will unsurprisingly take a seat with the Marlins bringing lefty Caleb Smith to the bump for the series finale. Kris Negron will take over Pederson's usual spot in right field and bat sixth.
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Harold Ramirez DH | WAS
Marlins' Harold Ramirez: Sits after four straight starts
Ramirez is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Dodgers, Andre Fernandez of The Athletic reports.
The Marlins will give Curtis Granderson a spin in left field in the series finale, ending a stretch of four consecutive starts for Ramirez. The 24-year-old remains the Marlins' clear top option at the position, but his hot start following his May promotion from Triple-A New Orleans is a distant memory at this point. He's submitted a .210/.252/.400 slash line to go with four home runs, 16 RBI, 13 runs and no steals in 29 games since the All-Star break.